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4 more years, but not like the last 4, OK?

President Barack Obama's impressive re-election victory delighted federal and
postal union leaders who — along with their staffs and rank-and-file
volunteers — worked long and hard in the campaign. They made special efforts
in swing states, like Virginia and Colorado, most of which paid off.

Although there is no way to assess the impact of the huge
federal family vote, the large number of government worker and retiree voters in key states could have tipped the balance in close
elections. Federal union leaders hope to make that point with White House
advisers who handle federal and postal worker issues.

William R. Dougan, president of the National
Federation of Federal Employees, said Nov. 6 was a "momentous victory for federal
employees."

J. David Cox Sr., president of the American
Federation of Government Employees, called it a "victory for the nation and for
all
working class people."

Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National
Treasury Employees Union, said many individual members and chapters worked hard in
swing states like Virginia, Missouri, Ohio and Wisconsin to make the victory
possible.

The American Postal Workers Union and
National Association of Letter Carriers both supported the President's re-
election bid. The lead item on the APWU's member homepage yesterday was more
practical than political. It reminded postal employees that they will be getting
a modest contractual pay raise later this month. That's a rare bit of
good news for the rapidly shrinking USPS workforce, where workers in many crafts
are being lured into early retirement with buyout
offers.

Having helped the Obama team to victory, the union leaders
must be hoping that the next four years will be better for their members than the
last four, which included a two-year pay freeze proposed by the President and
happily OK'd by Congress. In the most recent political deal (a temporary
continuing resolution), federal pay has again been frozen through March 31. The
White House proposed a 0.5 percent increase effective in January, but agreed to
the CR to keep government running. It was necessary because Congress, again,
failed to approve budgets for the fiscal year that began last October. The
temporary stopgap measure was approved to give the new Congress time — three
months — to do what it couldn't manage in last nine months of this year.

An early acid test for federal unions will be how firmly the
White House backs their demand that the 2013 raise, which may or may not kick in
April, be made retroactive to January 2013. At 0.5 percent, that wouldn't buy
much, but coming in a lump sum — especially after health premiums have
jumped up — it would be considerably better than another year without a pay
raise.

Medicare and the FEHBP

Should federal and postal retirees with FEHBP plans buy Medicare Part B?
The short answer is yes, and no. It depends! On yesterday's Your Turn
radio show, David Snell of the National Active and Retired Federal
Employees tackled that oft-asked question of how much health insurance do you
need? To listen to the show, click here.

Feds should expect minor tweaks in
Obama's 2nd term
History shows administrations entering a second term tend to stay on the
performance management path they initially lay out with an eye toward extending
some priorities. Budget pressures, including the looming cuts from sequestration,
will drive many of the priorities over the next four years for President Barack
Obama. Agencies also can expect initiatives such as strategic sourcing, cloud
computing and reform to the federal hiring process to march down a similar path as
they have over the last four years.

Changes coming to key congressional committees despite status-quo
election
Republicans missed their chance to grab control of both houses of Congress during
Tuesday's national election. With control of the Senate and the House remaining
unchanged, both parties will retain leadership of their respective committees. But
retirements and committee term limits will lead to some changes.